Not many would remember him as the shy assistant to Maan in Geet, for Praneet Bhat has definitely come a long way. Yes, he is the guy who has pulled off the character of Shakuni with much zeal in Star Plus’ Mahabharat (Swastik Productions). When asked about his journey from Geet to Mahabharat, the actor states, “It is the ambition of every actor to play variety of roles and this has been my journey, I have tried to play every character with full conviction. It’s God’s grace that I have been offered with good opportunities.” Did he have the confidence of pulling off such a strong character? “For an actor confidence holds the maximum importance although I must confess that I was very nervous. But then I worked really hard on the character. To understand the role I read a lot of books. I must say that I fell in love with the character completely as it started unfolding in front of me. Also the workshops that we had with the team really helped me a lot.” Playing a character like this tend to effect one personally. When asked whether that happened with him, Praneet smiles to say, “Every character tends to change you somewhere. For when you play a character, you give in a lot of yourself to it. As for Shakuni’s character, I have become much more responsible towards my family and my country. Also saying ‘mere bacche’ so many times on the show has made me more close to kids.” When asked how he managed to do the intricate yet captivating eye movement, the actor shares, “There is no secret; it was just sheer hard work and my thirst to do something different. While I was preparing for the role I wanted to bring some variety. So apart from body language and voice modulations I wanted to do something physically. As I was practicing in front of the mirror I closed an eye and it looked really classy. The smart diplomat man’s character came all the more beautifully. But the trick was not to close your eyes, but to know when to close and open it (winks).” After playing Shakuni, a lot of expectations are riding up on him, sharing about his future plans Praneet quips, “Every new role is a new challenge, a new game. I am hoping that I will be offered good roles and most importantly different roles. For me every platform holds equal weightage. Janta is the janardhan and I feel it is my dharm to entertain them. When people trust me with something good, I will make sure I live up to their expectations.” And lastly when asked to share one memorable moment from the show, Praneet shares, “There are of course many for I had a wonderful time shooting with the team. But while shooting for a war sequence me and Ankit (Mohan) had to run towards Duryodhan (Arpit Ranka). Playing a man who limps, I was running like a horse and Ankit just could not stop laughing at me. We almost did more than 15 retakes for it. It was a really hilarious moment.” Cheers to those moments Praneet!